pathoflifedevotions Devotions, March

March 31, 2017

Duty

Duty has friend named Hope.
Sometimes hope shines from an empty tomb.  Sometimes it sings in the quiet following a violent storm.  Sometimes hope whispers inside while the storm still rages outside.

Always, hope hardens the will as each day we perform our duty.

The Song of the Sparrow
Duty is not a thing of sadness, nor is it a thing of parades and marching bands.  Duty is the quiet song of the sparrow in the morning, at noon, and in the late afternoon, as the worthless little brown birds fly joyfully from bush to bush, doing what God made them to do.  They don’t get the press that eagles get, high on their perches or soaring almost too high to see.  They don’t signal doom like circling buzzards or danger like the watching hawk.  They don’t form graceful lines as they fly like geese overland or like pelicans over the sea.  They do not make formations that we can discern.  They fly close to the ground in short hops, almost falling even as they fly.
Yet, the Lord told us to observe and learn from birds as examples of the Father’s excellent care. Sparrows are the least of these. We are certainly more valuable to God than sparrows!

What God Looks For
He does not look for graceful arcs or impressive appearance or stunning skills.  God looks for the one who will do his/her duty, day after day, night after night.  The Lord prizes the one of the humble and contrite spirit who hits the mark and performs the job dependably at each opportunity.

What is our duty?
As His ultimate creation, each person has a duty to honor God.  We honor God

  • Through consistent and faithful prayer,
  • Through constant consumption of the Word of God,
  • Through continuing compassion for others, andBy walking through the doors He opens for us and refusing to enter those He closes to us.

King Solomon’s Findings
King Solomon had the resources and the time to conduct a grand experiment to determine the meaning of life.  Like a good researcher, he reported his findings in a thesis called “Ecclesiastes.” When life is lived in vain Solomon’s observations are bitter and realistic —it is like trying to eat the wind.  His conclusion is the hope that strengthens the heart—love God and keep His commands; this is the whole duty of man.

King Jesus lived that life for us.
He did His duty, taking up the cross of God’s love and justice and bearing it to Calvary.  His command to us signals the start of every day and shines like a bright star through every night—take up your cross—your duty—and follow me. That duty may seem small and little noted by others, but it is the brief flight of a sparrow that holds the intense attention of heaven.

We should not underestimate the power of consistent living.  As we live faithfully each day, hope shines from an empty tomb, sings in the quiet following a violent storm, and whispers inside while the storm still rages outside.

Scriptures

Matthew 6:25-28; 33 RSV
“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? …But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.
Matthew 16:24-27
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.
Ecclessiates 1:12-14; 12:13 AMP
I, the Preacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. And I applied myself by heart and mind to seek and search out by [human]  wisdom all human activity under heaven. It is a miserable business which God has given to the sons of man with which to busy themselves. I have seen all the works that are done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity, a striving after the wind and a feeding on wind. All has been heard; the end of the matter is: Fear God [revere and worship Him, knowing that He is] and keep His commandments, for this is the whole of man [the full, original purpose of his creation, the object of God’s providence, the root of character, the foundation of all happiness, the adjustment to all inharmonious circumstances and conditions under the sun] and the whole [duty] for every man.
Acts 23:1-2
Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin and said, “My brothers, I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day.”

Song:
The Sparrow Song
Words and Music: J.D. Phifer

1. When you are sad, downhearted and blue,
Think of how He cares for you.
When things look bad, your courage you lose,
Think of how He cares for you.

Refrain:
Think of the sparrow He feeds with such care,
The flower He waters with dew.
Dwell on the things He promised to do.
Think of how He cares for you.

2. When you are lost in realms of despair,
Think of how He cares for you.
When there’s a cross you know you must bear,
Think of how He cares for you.

Refrain

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, February

February 17, 2017

Preaching

Jesus was a preacher.
Paul and the other disciples were preachers, too. They had a message to deliver to anyone who might listen. People did listen to Jesus; some of the scenes are recorded in the Bible.

  • He would talk with a loud voice when He needed to be heard by many people from the crest of a hill or from a boat in a lake.
  • He could also speak softly to a Nicodemas who came to Him secretly at night and to a shy, thirsty woman at a well in Samaria in the middle of the day.
  • Sometimes His sermon was a dialogue as friends asked sincere questions and enemies tried to trick Him with words.
  • It was possible to interrupt Him and change the subject but He could not be silenced until He was done with His preaching.

In the Power of the Holy Spirit
He did all this preaching in the power of the Holy Spirit, not from some inexhaustible personal strength.

  • He said that He preached what the Father gave Him to say.
  • Sometimes the Holy Spirit would reveal to Him what was happening in the hearts of His listeners and those secret things were preached to the crowd. Preaching and secrets do not go well together.
  • No one who heard Him had ever heard anyone like Him before. Some people in the crowd compared His preaching to that of the religious leaders they were used to hearing. It was brutal. “He is not like the others we hear—He speaks with authority!”

Authority also came with His hands and the commands of His voice.

  • Things that just don’t happen happened with a shouted command or with a fleeting touch. Afflictions undid themselves.
  • Demons departed to parts unknown with great haste.
  • The best minds of the day were left speechless, as if they had been struck as dumb as the dumb had been set free to speak.

His actions were unconventional to say the least.

  • He ate with sinners and crooks and women of the streets.
  • He spoke freely to Roman soldiers as if He understood their authority.
  • He was afraid of no one yet He was not threatening to those who sought Him out; children thronged Him with laughter and running little feet to always find His lap and a friendly hug.

His sermons came from life.
Life went on around Him when He preached the Good News and He incorporated the details of life into His sermons: agriculture, fishing, public prayer—both true and false—the marketplace, family life, all found a place in His repertoire of illustrations. He told great stories, full of memorable characters, high drama, and poignant moral lessons. Often His meaning was clear to those who heard Him and the impact of His presence somehow validated the things He said. At other times His sermons confounded the people so much that His disciples would ask for private explanations.

His prayer life was private.
He was known to pray, off by Himself before the break of day. Somehow this gave Him the strength He would need to fulfill each day’s mission: souls to be touched, bodies to be healed, comfort for the distressed, and rebukes for the fakers. It is safe to say that no one walked the earth the way Jesus did.

The Disciples
Paul and the other followers of Jesus preached and performed miracles in the name of Jesus for He was with them—in them—by the power of the Spirit of God.

  • They needed no show to gather a crowd.
  • They desperately sought to disappear into the story they told—they knew there was no power in their names or in the touch of their hands and certainly not in the sound of their voices.
  • Jesus had called them to preach and now He was continuing His preaching through them.

Whether with words or with deeds, let Jesus be the story we tell today. Let His truth be seen in the work of our hands and let His song be heard in the music of our lives.

Scriptures:
Luke 4:18-19 NIV
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Mark 1:38 NIV
Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else — to the nearby villages — so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.”
1 Corinthians 2:1-5 NIV
When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, empower my life today to be a witness for You, a sermon preached in sweetness, in serenity, and in simplicity. May my words tell Your story, my actions illustrate Your life, and my attitudes reflect Your peace. You are my message today. Your praise is the song of my life. Holy Spirit, set my heart on fire with the truth about Jesus. As I live today, let me preach the Good News. Amen.

Song:
Our God Reigns
Words and Music: Leonard Smith

1. How lovely on the mountains are the feet of him
Who brings good news, good news,
Announcing peace, proclaiming news of happiness.
Our God reigns! Our God reigns!

Refrain:
Our God Reigns! Our God Reigns!
Our God Reigns! Our God Reigns!

2. He had no stately form, He had no majesty,
That we should be drawn to Him.
He was despised and we took no account of Him,
Yet now He reigns with the Most High.

Refrain

3. Out from the tomb He came with grace and majesty,
He is alive, he is alive.
God loves us so, see here His hands, His feet, His side.
Yes, we know, He is alive.

Refrain
Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, January

January 23

Interests

When interest is lost, the loss is deep and lasting.

This is not in direct reference to money, the kind of interest that increases the amount of one’s wealth as it is measured by financial standards. There is information a plenty on that kind of interest.

The interest this writing concerns is a continuing fascination of the mind, a curiosity of the heart that is not easily satisfied, a taste for ideas of substance and a thirst to know more about a particular thing. It is the answer to the question, “And, what are your interests?”

This is important!
At first glance this may seem a frivolous thing but it is not at all inconsequential. The biblical term for our interests is “the desires of your heart.” Our interests are not passing fancies; they are born early in our lives and they stay, unless we lose them through neglect, to the end of our days if our minds keep serving us well that long.

Even when we were small children, the things that fascinated us were indications of the kind of mind and heart the Lord had given us. Many of us make a living at the very things we pretended to do when we were children. It is said that an infant is fascinated by swirling colors and shapes but is bored by still, drab images. This is a sign of our human gift of intelligence. Each of us also has a deep inward need to interpret what we see—to assign meaning to our observations.

Our interests have many sources and, as we grow up, our environment will feed some of our interests and starve others. It is not by accident that artistic parents raise artistic children when those children grow up in homes filled with stimuli and packed with rewards for creativity.

The Lord Shapes our Interests
As we follow the Lord, Jesus takes a direct hand in shaping our interests. “Every good and perfect gift” comes from the Lord. For some of us, a fascination with music fills our earliest memories and has never waned in all the years since. Music is one of those “good gifts” from the hand of God. If we exercise our interest in music within the context of God’s Kingdom, our natural interest blossoms into a source of God’s strength in our lives and, for many of us, a primary way of serving God and mankind.

The imminent danger comes from feeding ungodly interests. The enemy of our souls is ready to pounce on every evil thing we do and every wicked thing done to us by others. If we are obsessed with wickedness, these interests will only yield pain as the years pass. Jesus wants to deliver us from evil interests and replace them with fascination for His creation, delight in His Word, and power in His Spirit.

There are three processes at work:
1. God gives us natural interests.
2. We develop those interests into life skills.
3. As we follow Christ, He shapes our interests–the desires of our heart–throughout our lifetime.

As we follow Christ we are “delighting ourselves in Him” as we pursue our God-given interests. It is not tortuous—it is fun! So whether it is a job or a hobby, if it pleases God, we can enjoy what interests us. So have fun today. Delight yourself in the desires of your heart. They are a gift from the heart of God.

Scriptures:
James 1:17
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
Psalms 37:3-6
Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.
Colossians 3:17; 23-24
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving
Ecclesiastes 11:9
Be happy, young man, while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see, but know that for all these things God will bring you to judgment.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, from my earliest memory certain things fascinated me. In childhood play those fascinations became games I made up. In the early grades my interests became skills I was learning: reading, writing, story-telling, singing and play acting. These interests stayed with me to adulthood, helping me know what classes to take and what activities to join. They also provided me with friends who shared them with me. Lord, this was no accident. The interests of my childhood became my calling from You. So today, if I should spend time having fun with these things, this is not time wasted but is a holy thing, a gift from Your hand. As I work, rest, or play today, renew my mind, refresh my spirit and rest me deeply in Your peace. I will give all my renewed strength to the honor You so richly deserve. In Your Name, Lord Jesus. Amen.

Song:
Let the Peace of Christ Rule in Your Heart
Words: Colossians 3:15; Music: Denny Cagle

Let the peace of Christ rule in your heart,
Let the peace of Christ rule in your heart,
And whatever you do in word or deed
Do it all in the name of the Lord.

Giving thanks, giving thanks to God through Christ, the Lord.
Giving thanks, giving thanks to God through Christ, the Lord.

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, January

January 14

Mission

Each of us has a mission, a mission from God. Every day we make a list of “Things to do Today.” If we don’t write the list down, we try to keep it in our head. As a work week progresses, it is good to review the mission.

  • Do our plans for today flow from the call of God on our life?
  • Does today’s mission advance our life’s mission?

The God who created the vast and expanding universe is also the Creator of this day, this moment, and of our hearts. Just as “the heavens are telling” us the glories of God, the Spirit of God within each of us is telling us about God and what He plans for us today. He is not a random God; He has a plan and we are a part of it. He is the God of detail, large and small, from the movement of the planets to our actions between breakfast and lunchtime.

The grand scheme of things is His call on our lives. This is the central fact of our existence.

  • It is the guiding revelation for the choices we make—does this advance the call or hinder it?
  • It is the basis of our judgment when we stand before the Lord and give an account.
  • It is the source of joy and strength, tenacity and determination, faithfulness and effectiveness, for the lives we live.

God’s agenda for today is just as specific as his grand scheme for our lives. We face a choice.

  • We can charge into this day without listening to the Spirit, following our own agenda, or,
  • We can listen to the voice of God within us, tuning our spirit to His Spirit so that we live this day in holiness, love, and power beyond our natural abilities.

People will cross our path today. Questions will come our way. Our prayers will be sought by those in need. Deeds of creativity and mercy will be expected of us. There will be words of truth that we must whisper in the ears of some and other messages that we must shout from the rooftops.

We have a story to tell with details of our lives.  We have a mission that is ever with us–“Your Kingdom, come!  Your Will be done!”

Scriptures:
Ephesians 2:10
For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Colossians 3:16-17; 23-24
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
Psalm 89:15 NKJV
Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! They walk, O LORD, in the light of Your countenance.

Song:
We’ve a Story to Tell to the Nations
Words and Music: H. Ernest Nichol

1. We’ve a story to tell to the nations that shall turn their hearts to the right,
A story of truth and mercy, a story of peace and light.

Refrain:
For the darkness shall turn to dawning and the dawning to noonday bright,
And Christ’s great Kingdom shall come to earth, the Kingdom of love and light.

2. We’ve a song to be sung to the nations that shall lift hearts to the Lord.
A song that shall conquer evil and shatter the spear and sword.

Refrain

3.We’ve a message to give to the nations that the Lord who reigneth above
Hath sent us His Son to save us and show us that God is love.

Refrain

4. We’ve a Savior to show to the nations Who the path of sorrow has trod,
That all of the world’s great peoples might come to the truth of God.

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved